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YtiNirTEen sTETEs PATENT oEEicE.

THOMAS N. ROOKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

/ TYPE-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,037, dated January 1, 1861.

.T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS N. HOOKER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Type-Cases for Printers Use; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specication, in which- Figure 1, is a transverse vertical section of my invention. Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken in the line a, Z), Fig. 1. plans of different parts pertaining to the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to render type cases capable of being made more portable than hitherto, or of much less area, so as to economize in space and consequently in rent and artificial light, and at the same time expedite the work of the compositor.

Type cases constructed in the ordinary way require tobe of such dimensions as to preclude the necessity of frequently supplyin g or replenishing the boxes with types, which would consume considerable time. This arbitrary size occasions much embarf rassment, the hand ofl the compositor in the prosecution of his work necessarily travels over a great deal of space in a given time, and considerable artificial light is required to render visible all parts of the case. To obviate these difiiculties T construct a type case of quite moderate dimensions so far as area is concerned, but have the case and its boxes made quite deep so that they (the boxes) may hold a comparatively large quantityof types, the boxes being provided with movable bottoms, arranged so as to be readily adjusted or raised from time to time to compensate for the general exhaustion of the boxes and keep the type at the surfaces of the same.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a stand or framing so constructed as to hold as usual the upper and lowercases B, C. The lower case C, is partitioned off into compartments or boxes a,

Figs. 3, 4, and 5, `detached precisely in the same way as the ordinary type cases, or they may be arranged in any other way as for instance as shown in my patented case of April 5th, 1859. I do not confine myself to any particular arrangement of the boxes. The casevO, is constructed so as to be quite limited in dimensions as regards area but is considerably deeper than usual and each box c, of said case is provided with a loose or movable bottom b, and these bottoms when at their lowest points rest on flanches c, at the bottom of the case, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Within the stand or framing A, and directly below the case C, there is placed a board D. This board is allowed to rise and fall freely in the stand or framing and it has a series of blocks d, attached to its upper surface said blocks corresponding in position with the boxes a, in the case C; this is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

To the under side of the board D, there are attached pendent projections e, e, the lower surfaces of which are inclined and rest on inversely inclined surfaces on projections f, f, which are attached-to a board E. The board E, is allowed to slide in the stand or framing A, in a longitudinal direction, said board being fitted' between proper guides g, g, and operated by a screw F, which is fitted ina nut z, attached t0 the board E. The screw F, passes through one end of the frame or "st-and A, and has a. crank or hand wheel attached to it. n

From the above description it vwill be seen that the bottoms Z), of the boxes a, of the case C, may be raised when desired by turning the screw F, the inclined surfaces of the projections f, forcing upward the projection c, c, and board D, the blocks cl, of the board D, acting against the bottoms o, of the boxes. By this arrangement therefore the area of the case C, may be considerably reduced below that of ordinary type cases so that the hand of the compositor will have comparatively a short movement in passing over the case to the different boxes, and the requisite capacity of the latter is obtained by increasing their depth, the type being always kept near the surface by raising the bottoms b, from time to time.

The case C, may be removed from the frame or stand A, at any time, and another,

with diferent forms of type placed there- I claim'as new and desire to secure by Letin, the mechanism for raising the bottoms l ters Patent is Z), not necessarily interfering With the ad- A type case having its boxes a, provided l5 justment of dierent cases on the frame or With movable or adjustable bottoms Z), ar-

5 stand, provided that the cases be all of ranged to operate by any suitable mechansimilar capacity or dimensions so as to corf ism substantially as and for the purpose respnd with the block 1 i herein set forth.

I o not confine m se to any artcu ar mechanism for raising the bottomspb7 of the I A THOMAS N' ROOKER' 10 boxes a, of the type case, for various plans I fitnessesz may be devised for electing such result. i M. M. LIVINGSTON,

Having thus described my invention what JAMES LAIRD. 

